Green Revolution in India

The Green Revolution was a big jump in India's food production that began in the mid-1960s. It came from using new high-yielding seeds of wheat and rice, along with irrigation, chemical fertilisers and pesticides. In a few years, India moved from begging for food aid to growing enough grain to feed itself. It is the reason India today has large stocks of rice and wheat in government godowns.

Why was it needed?

In the early 1960s, India could not grow enough food for its people. Two droughts in a row, in 1965 and 1966, cut harvests badly. India had to import large amounts of wheat from the United States under a food aid law called PL-480 (Public Law 480). This was called a "ship-to-mouth" existence, because grain went almost straight from the ship to people's plates.

Depending on another country for food also made India weak in foreign policy. So the country needed a fast way to grow much more food on the same land.

Where did the new seeds come from?

The key idea was a new kind of wheat plant that was short, or "semi-dwarf".

• Norman Borlaug, an American scientist working in Mexico, bred semi-dwarf wheat varieties such as Sonora 64 and Lerma Rojo 64A. They could give 5-6 tonnes per hectare and resisted a plant disease called rust.
• In October 1963, about 100 kg of these seeds reached the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, for trials.
• Indian scientist M.S. Swaminathan led the work of testing and adapting these seeds for India. He is called the Father of the Green Revolution in India. He was given the Bharat Ratna in 2024.
• For the 1966-67 rabi (winter) season, India imported about 18,000 tonnes of Mexican wheat seed. This is taken as the full-scale start of the Green Revolution.
• For rice, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines released IR8, called "miracle rice", in November 1966. It raised rice yields from 1-2 tonnes to 4-5 tonnes per hectare.
• The term "Green Revolution" was first used by William Gaud, head of USAID, in a speech on 8 March 1968.
• Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for this work.

Why does a short plant give more grain?

Old wheat plants were tall and thin. If a farmer gave them more fertiliser, they grew taller, became top-heavy and fell over in wind and rain. This is called "lodging", and the grain is lost. The new short plants had strong, stiff stems. They could take much more fertiliser and water and turn it into grain instead of stalk. So the seed alone was not enough. It worked only as a package: new seed + assured water + fertiliser + pesticides.

How did the government make it work?

Seeds alone do not change farming. The government built a support system around them:

• Intensive Agricultural District Programme (IADP), 1960-61: focused credit, seeds and fertiliser on a few districts with good irrigation.
• High Yielding Varieties Programme (HYVP), 1966-67: spread the new seeds to farmers.
• Agricultural Prices Commission, 1965: advised the government on crop prices. It was renamed the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) in 1985.
• Food Corporation of India (FCI), 1965: buys grain from farmers and stores it for the ration system (Public Distribution System, PDS).
• Minimum Support Price (MSP): first announced for wheat in 1966-67. It promised farmers a floor price, so they would not lose money if prices crashed after a big harvest.
• Agricultural universities (the first at Pantnagar, 1960), ICAR research and extension workers taught farmers the new methods.

You can think of it like a new factory machine: the machine (seed) is useless without electricity (water), raw material (fertiliser) and a buyer who promises to purchase the output (MSP and FCI).

Where did it happen?

The new wheat spread fastest in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. These areas had canals, tube wells and fairly large farms. That is why these three are still called the "original Green Revolution states". Rice gains came later, in states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Eastern India and dry, rainfed regions gained much less.

What did it achieve?

India's foodgrain production rose from about 74 million tonnes in 1966-67 to 152 million tonnes in 1983-84. India stopped needing food aid. The large grain stocks later made possible the PDS, the mid-day meal scheme and the National Food Security Act, 2013. By 2024-25, India's foodgrain output reached a record 357.73 million tonnes (final estimates), with rice at 150.18 million tonnes and wheat at 117.94 million tonnes.

Commonly confused concepts

• Green Revolution vs other "revolutions": Green = foodgrains (wheat, rice). White Revolution = milk (Operation Flood, 1970, led by Verghese Kurien). Blue Revolution = fish. Yellow Revolution = oilseeds. Golden Revolution = horticulture and honey.
• Green Revolution vs Evergreen Revolution: The Evergreen Revolution is M.S. Swaminathan's later idea. It means raising production without harming soil, water and the environment.
• Borlaug vs Swaminathan: Borlaug bred the original Mexican wheat and won the Nobel Peace Prize (1970). Swaminathan adapted and spread it in India.
• HYV seeds vs GM seeds: HYV seeds were made by normal cross-breeding of plants. Genetically modified (GM) seeds have a gene added in a laboratory, like Bt cotton (approved in 2002).

Issues, criticism and the way forward

• Only two crops: Rice and wheat got the seeds, the MSP and the procurement. Pulses, oilseeds and millets were left behind. India still imports a lot of edible oil.
• Only some regions: Irrigated north-western India gained. Rainfed areas and eastern India gained far less, which widened regional inequality.
• Water crisis: Paddy needs a lot of water. Free or cheap electricity in some states made farmers pump groundwater heavily. As per Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) assessments, most blocks in Punjab are "over-exploited" (more water is taken out than rain puts back).
• Soil damage: Heavy and unbalanced use of urea (nitrogen) over phosphorus and potassium has weakened soils. Burning of paddy stubble adds to air pollution in north India.
• Loss of diversity: Many local seed varieties and crops disappeared.
• Farmer inequality: Richer farmers who could afford inputs gained more at first.
• Way forward: Experts call for a "second Green Revolution" that is sustainable: crop diversification away from paddy in water-scarce areas, balanced fertiliser use (Soil Health Cards), micro-irrigation, and spreading gains to eastern India. The scheme Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI), started in 2010-11, is one such effort.

Concepts to Know

• High-yielding variety (HYV): A seed type bred to give much more grain per hectare, usually only when given enough water and fertiliser.
• Rabi and kharif: Rabi crops are sown in winter and harvested in spring (like wheat). Kharif crops are sown with the monsoon and harvested in autumn (like rice).
• Procurement: When a government agency like FCI buys grain directly from farmers, usually at MSP.
• Extension: Work done by government staff and agricultural universities to teach farmers new methods and technologies.
• Food security: A situation where all people have enough safe and nutritious food at all times, and can afford it.